Moroccan ambassador gives instructions to 500 Belgian imams

The Moroccan press agency ‘Maghreb Arabe presse’ (MAP) reported extensively on the meeting of the Moroccan embassy last Saturday in Brussels. This meeting, in a series of meetings within a short time, was aiming the imams in Belgium. The guest list, according to MAP were 500 Belgian imams, religious leaders and chairmen of mosque associations.

The Moroccan ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, Mohamed Amer, spoke about ‘the Moroccan model of Islam’ and the need to protect it from other movements. The ambassador said that this model unites the Moroccans under ‘Emir of the faithful’, one of the functions held by the Moroccan king.

The ambassador called on those present to intensify their efforts to “meet the religious and spiritual needs of the Moroccan community in Belgium”.

Mohamed Amer also spoke enthusiastically about “major projects all over Morocco to create employment”, referring to “the climate of security, stability and freedom of expression that Morocco has, making it a model that is praised in North Africa and the Middle East”.

The ambassador also spoke about the fisheries agreement with the European Union which, according to Mohamed Amer, is a victory for ‘Morocco’ because the agreement covers the ‘whole country’, including Western Sahara.

Mohamed Amer also mentioned the “good ties between Morocco and Belgium”, referring to the trade mission led by Princess Astrid.

Mr Amer urged those present to “continue to mobilise from all their positions to face up to the manoeuvres of the opponents of territorial unity, who are waiting for the opportunity to undermine the Kingdom’s achievements in this dossier”, MAP said.

The President of the European Council of Moroccan (religious) scholars, Eltaher Toujkani, took the floor and stressed the role of the imams and religious leaders in accompanying the Moroccan community abroad, particularly in Belgium.

The Moroccan Consul in Brussels, Abderrahman Fayad, spoke on his behalf and on behalf of the consuls of Liège and Antwerp and said he was prepared to work with the mosque authorities to achieve a better result.

At the end of the meeting, the participants prayed for the Moroccan king Mohamed VI, his brother Rachid, his son Hassan and all members of the royal family. The participants also prayed to god to ‘protect Morocco from evil and to unite Moroccans abroad in order to raise the Moroccan flag’ and ‘to protect the sacred foundations (king, territorial unity and Islam)’, and to ‘participate in the development workshops that aim different regions of the Kingdom’, according to the Moroccan news agency MAP.